April 3 Blood Drive to Raise Awareness on Obstetric Condition
As Mother's Day nears, Chicagoland blood bank LifeSource will host a blood drive to raise awareness about Placenta Accreta, a life-threatening condition that affects pregnant women. The blood drive takes place from 1-7 p.m. on Friday, April 3, at LifeSource's headquarters at 5505 Pearl Street, Rosemont.
Placenta Accreta is a potentially life-threatening obstetric condition that prompts the placenta to grow into the uterine wall. The placenta then seeks nearby organs in search of an adequate blood supply. Women ages 35 and over who have previously undergone a Caesarean section are at a higher risk.
Two Chicagoland residents who overcame this condition and benefited from the generosity of blood donors recently approached LifeSource about hosting a blood drive to raise awareness to Placenta Accreta.
Giving birth to her third baby at age 34, Hoffman Estates resident Puja Pereira needed 38 units of blood immediately after her delivery to offset the condition that caused her uterus vessels to uncontrollably bleed.
"During a normal pregnancy, your uterus vessels are about the width of a pen tip," Pereira explains. "But when you have Placenta Accreta, that width grows to that of a (permanent) marker."
She was first diagnosed after an ultrasound during her 19th week, but never expected her post-delivery to be so life-threatening.
"I completely bled out my body volume three times over right after my delivery," Pereira recalls.
Chicago resident Roxanne Roberts, 42, had a normal pregnancy in fall 2012. Her condition went undiagnosed, and like Pereira, began to bleed uncontrollably immediately after giving birth.
She needed five units of blood, but her consequences were vastly different: as a life-saving precaution, her doctors performed an emergency hysterectomy.
"I remember overhearing my doctor calling the blood bank as I was being taken into surgery," Roberts remembers. "I'd never heard of the condition Placenta Accreta, and I felt alone."
While Pereira continues to struggle with why she had the condition, the Hoffman Estates' mom is certain of one thing: she wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for the LifeSource blood donors who donated the blood she needed in the emergency room.
Pereira says she reflects on that aspect whenever she's with her children.
"I think to myself, 'I wouldn't be here if it weren't for all the kind and generous people who donated blood,'" Pereira relates. "I wouldn't be able to take my children to school in the morning, and I wouldn't be able to tuck them into bed at night," she says. "I'm incredibly thankful to LifeSource blood donors for making this possible for me."
Participating donors at the April 3 blood drive will be entered in a random drawing to win a gift basket from Harry Caray's Restaurant in Rosemont. LifeSource will also raffle a pair of Chicago Blackhawks tickets to donors who attend.
Appointments for the blood drive are preferred, but all walk-ins are welcome. Donors can schedule their appointment by calling LifeSource at (877) 543-3768, or visiting www.lifesource.org and using the code 346D. For more information, contact LifeSource Mobile Recruitment Director Marie Pinetti at (847) 260-2853.
Along with hosting daily blood drives, LifeSource operates 19 community donor centers and four fixed sites with regular operating days and hours. In preparation for their donation, donors are asked to eat well, stay hydrated and arrive with proper identification.